Peoria Public Radio News

7:00 pm

Wed July 10, 2013

Public input wanted on University Street upgrade

The City of Peoria is looking for public input on how many lanes University Street should have when it gets needed surface upgrades.

There are three options for University between Nebraska and Forest Hill. They include the current five lane configuration, four lanes with no center turn lane or three lanes with one going each direction and a center lane.

Scott Reeise is the Peoria City Engineer. He says no matter which option is selected the road will have to meet state and federal accessibility standards. Reeise says reducing the number of lanes on one of the city’s busiest roads would cause delays for area residents and businesses.

“Instead of backing out and waiting 30 seconds to back out of your driveway or pull out of your driveway, you might be looking at waiting five minutes to catch a gap or something like that," Reeise says. "It also does possibly slow traffic down because there is not a wide road for everybody to drive down. You would see some backing up along there in a three-lane - just a lower level of service.”

Reeise says Peoria’s Public Works Department is looking for citizen input on the acceptable level of service for those who use the road. Reeise says those interested in weighing in on the subject can call the Peoria Public Works Department.